Electric vehicle charging station now available in parking garage

NIUCampus Parking Servicesis excited to announce the installation of an electric vehicle (EV) charging station. The charging station is located on the west side of the parking garage drive-up ramp off Carroll Avenue. This project is part of an initiative known as “The Workplace Charging Challenge.” The Workplace Charging Challenge” aims to have 500 U.S. employers join by 2018.

The charging station, a ChargePoint CT4000 Series Level 2, is a single unit with two charging connectors which allows two vehicles to be charged simultaneously. It charges at a maximum rate of 25 RPH (miles of Range Per Hour), and stations can fully charge some vehicles in less than four hours. All cars on the market are compatible with the ChargePoint chargers.

Various payment options are available—American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa or a ChargePoint prepaid card can be used to pay for charging sessions. The first four hours are billed at $1 per hour. After four hours, the rate increases to $5 per hour in order to encourage availability. Violators who park a non-electric vehicle in a ChargePoint space are subject to a $100 ticket and having their vehicle towed off campus. Electric vehicles using the station must be charging their vehicle or face a $20 fine for improper parking. No special permit is required to charge an electric vehicle, but payment must be made and the vehicle must be in charging status while parked in a ChargePoint space.

TheChargePoint mobile appsends customers notifications of available charging spaces, updates of their charging status as well as warnings if the connector becomes unplugged, among other options.

Basic etiquette for using a charging station

EV spaces are for use by EV vehicles only, and those vehicles must be charging when using an EV space.